Hi, I've tried all the Pacific natural guts and all the Klips except for Armour Pro and I've also used BDE Performance and Rallye and VS Team and Thermogut; just for reference.
Pacific
- Prime - most expensive, softest, and powerful string in the line. This string is ultra-comfortable and is the most cushioned hit in the line. You'll need to add 3 pounds to this string over a base gut like Classic.
- Imperial (Blue Sprial) - very much like Prime, very comfortable, and just plain cool looking when in your frame. It's a real throwback. I don't know that there is a whole lot of difference in this string from Prime other than the cosmetic.
- Tough Gut (formerly Tour) - this is less powerful and cushioned and has a firmer feel than Prime. I used this string in my Vilas' when I played with wood a few years ago. This string is smack dab in the middle of the line in terms of power/cushion.
- Classic - my string of choice. Pacific advertises their gut as firmer which lets you string looser for more comfort. I have been using the 16 guage in this gut and stringing it at 61 with great results. This string feels great and while it has less power than the guts above, it is great on the arm and very responsive.
Klip
- Legend - comparable gut to Classic. I used Legend in my Cat 8's for a year or so. I found it to be a firm hit, like Classic. In my experience, it didn't retain its playing characteristics as long as Classic and frayed way more. Maybe it has less coating, but I thought it played well for 6 hours or so and then went dead; felt like it bottomed out.
- Legend Uncoated - again Classic-like. This string definetly needs to be strung a little looser as it felt boardy when strung over 60.
Pacific vs Klip
Pacific's gauging is thinner than Klip's. In other words, Pacific's 16 is very much like Klip's 17 from a thickness perspective. No big deal, just if you like a thinner/thicker string you should know what you're ordering ahead of time.
Klip tends to fray almost immediately. Pacific will notch, but doesn't fray or unravel until you're close to breaking it.
Klip, IMO (and this is subjective) doesn't play as well as long as Pacific. Pacific retains its resiliency longer and
feels better.
With respect to:
Spin
Any gut is a step up from a multi in terms of spin. IMO, their are certainly the equal of poly in spin and beat the crap out of poly when comfort and arm safety are concerns. (I played poly for a bunch of years.) I don't think any one of the guts listed above has an advantage in spin production.
Power
From most to least:
- Pacific Prime/VS Team
- Pacific Blue Sprial/VS Thermogut
- Pacific Tough Gut
- Pacific Classic/Klip Legend/Klip Legend Uncoated
Feel
From most to least
- Pacific Prime/Pacific Blue Sprial
- VS Team
- Pacific Tough Gut/VS Thermogut
- Pacific Classic
- Klip Legend/Klip Legend Uncoated
Control
All guts are great in this respect, you just have to find the right tension. Most folks don't have the $'s to play around a whole bunch with tension and gut, so you need to know what you prefer prior to using gut. The best way to do this is to string a premium multi. Initially, it will play close to gut and will give you an idea of what tension you're going to like.
Hope this helps.